BERKELEY — A man charged Monday in the Nov. 20 assault and abduction of his ex-girlfriend and their three small children was free at the time on his own recognizance in a March case where he allegedly attacked the woman and held her against her will, according to authorities and court documents.
The suspect, Darryl Wayne Hill, 20, of Berkeley, was charged Monday with felony counts of corporal injury to a relationship partner and three counts of child abuse, and a misdemeanor count of hit-and-run driving in the Nov. 20 incident, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail pending a Dec. 5 pre-trial hearing.
According to authorities and court documents, just after 1 p.m. Nov. 20 Hill forced his way into a bathroom at a residence in the 1800 block of Sixth Street where he choked and punched the 21-year-old mother of his three sons, a 1-year-old and two 3-year-olds. He then allegedly dragged her down some stairs and placed her in a vehicle, where the children already were, and drove off.
As police tried to catch up to him, he drove into Oakland where he punched the woman in the face again, the documents say.
Police lost sight of the car in North Oakland after it struck another vehicle and kept going.
Police were able to track the vehicle into San Leandro, where Hill had stopped in the area of MacArthur and Broadmoor boulevards at about 3 p.m. He was outside the vehicle holding one of his older sons when he spotted police, dropped the child into the middle of the street and fled on foot, the documents say. He was eventually found hiding in a trash bin and was arrested.
According to court documents, the woman tried to minimize the incident and denied being kidnapped or assaulted, despite appearing to have a swollen face. She was granted an emergency protective order against Hill.
According to court documents, in the prior case, Hill was arrested March 28, the day after he allegedly chased and physically battered the woman and dragged her back inside a Berkeley shelter where he and she and the children had been staying.
According to court documents, even though the woman denied any abuse, she had some visible injuries. Hill, who denied any involvement in the assault, was charged with misdemeanor counts of corporal injury to a relationship partner and false imprisonment. An emergency protective order was granted to the woman against Hill.
According to court documents, on April 2, after Hill pleaded not guilty to the charges, he was released on his own recognizance after entering a nine-month deferred prosecution agreement; charges could have been dismissed in January had he met all terms of the agreement. As part of his release, he was ordered to take anger management and parenting classes, which he did, the records say.
But he was also told “to not harass, annoy, or molest” the victim, the documents say. He is scheduled to appear in court on that case also on Dec. 5.
Staff writer Jakob Rodgers contributed to this report.